


in this quiet place i can give you all my time

by Lira169



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Florist Peter, Fluff, I know nothing about flowers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, also i have no taste in fashion or beauty or arrangements, because he needs a reason to see peter, but know that all of these are googled, everyone around harley gets flowers, harley is a flirt, if i offend you please correct me in the comments, may ships it, so the bouquets are questionable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lira169/pseuds/Lira169
Summary: "Hiya, can you help me make a bouquet? I don't know anything about flowers and I don't wanna screw this up."And oh, Peter wanted to assist that customer in many ways. Who knew he had a thing for Southern accents?---After the blip, life slowly started to settle. May found new love, Tony is chillin, Peter bonded with flowers, and Harley, who just moved to Queens, is infatuated with the cute florist boy at Parker's Flowers.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 30
Kudos: 262





	in this quiet place i can give you all my time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MISinformation](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MISinformation/gifts).



> My first florist fic, I know nothing about flowers or how to arrange them so if you do and the writing bugs you I will not be opposed to a lesson/lecture on how flowers actually work :) I love making friends!
> 
> Happy birthday @maryparker!!! I hope you have a great birthday surrounded by the people you love because you deserve it!
> 
> Beta'd by @when_hellfreezesover, @greenpencil, @Alextrex1928
> 
> Don't question the number of betas, it's okay, everything is fine :)

"Peter, I'll just be out for a while, can you handle the shop for a few hours?"

"Of course, May! Have fun with George!"

Peter smiled as May left the shop, the tinkling of the bell on the door signalling her departure. 

Things had been looking up for them since the blip. 

After Thor snapped and lost his arm, he joined the Guardians of the Galaxy (such a cool name) in a quest for a new arm, however that worked. He  _ did _ get a new eye, so Peter wasn't questioning it. The Avengers were still available, but only for world-ending emergencies, though those hadn't popped up yet, not even a year after everything was righted. Peter guessed that even the villains were thankful to the Avengers for bringing back half of the world.

Tony still called him to the tower for workshop sessions and movie nights, but Peter was surprised to also be invited to team bonding nights with the Avengers, who were  _ cool  _ even in their pyjamas.

Morgan had adopted him to be a big brother (and he always wanted a younger sibling), and being an older brother meant acting responsibly, which went a long way in helping him be confident. He was the one who would call waiters over to place their order, and the one to walk up to the counter to ask a question, because Morgan was afraid and he had to not be afraid, and he was okay with that.

May wasn't getting any younger, so she quit her job as a nurse to open a small flower shop in their neighbourhood. The regular working hours would mean she could spend more time with Peter (and no time in the world could make up for the tears she had shed in five years), and Peter liked to help her out during summer break. Working in the flower shop led him to realise that flowers were incredibly interesting, and now he spent most of his free time learning the language of flowers and looking for more exotic flowers to import from all around the world.

For all the hurt the blip had caused, Peter was glad that May had George to lean on when he couldn't be there. George had been extremely respectful to Peter when he first introduced himself to be May's boyfriend, and promised that he wasn't trying to take Uncle Ben's place, but George made May happy, so Peter was happy.

The soft tinkling of the bell snapped Peter to attention.

"Hi, welcome to Parker's Flowers, how can I be of assistance?"

The new customer stepped inside, casting nervous glances around the shop. Peter got the feeling that it was his first time at a florist. Peter took the short reprieve to observe his customer. Blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a nice brown jacket over a red checkered undershirt and ripped jeans. Peter's eyes roamed the customer's body in equal parts envy and attraction.

The customer finally looked at Peter with a wide smile.

"Hiya, can you help me make a bouquet? I don't know anything about flowers and I don't wanna screw this up."

And  _ oh _ , Peter wanted to  _ assist _ that customer in many ways. Who knew he had a thing for Southern accents?

"Sure, what do you need?

"I need a bouquet that says congratulations-you-have-graduated-I-know-this-is-late-but-you-did-graduate-while-I-was-blipped-so-here-are-your-flowers, if that's a thing?"

"Who is this for?"

"Just a friend."

Peter gave it a thought, and went to the back of the shop to where the flowers were kept. He did like making custom bouquets. Thoughts of the hot customer forgotten, he busied himself with picking flowers and arranging them together. A few minutes later, he emerged with a colourful bouquet that he presented to the customer. 

The customer smiled at the sight of the bouquet.

"That looks amazing, thank you."

Peter grinned and started his favourite part of working at a flower shop - explaining the language of flowers.

He started with the lilies placed at the edges of the bouquet, like forming a bed of white for the other flowers to shine.

"These lilies symbolise friendship and devotion. If you have to apologise with flowers, it doesn't hurt to remind them of your friendship."

He then pointed out the rainbow of colours in the bouquet, eyes bright and hands gesturing wildly in his passion, "this bright red flower is a gladiolus, which symbolises strength of character, faithfulness and honor. The purple iris conveys meanings of wisdom and compliments, and this big one is a protea, which symbolises transformation and change. Yellow orchids symbolise joy and new beginnings."

Lastly, he gestured to the lone purple hyacinth, settled in the middle of the bouquet, hidden by the brightness of the other flowers.

"A purple hyacinth for regret. Overall, it shows your friend that you are happy that they have graduated, and even though you're sorry that you missed the celebrations, you hope to be there for the next big event..." 

Peter faltered for a moment when it dawned on him that the customer never asked for an explanation. His hands slowed to a halt in his embarrassment. Nobody cared about languages, anyway, "that is, if they even look up the meanings, or know what this bouquet means."

"Hey, Peter?" Peter looked up to see the customer squinting at his name tag, "Peter, meaningful or not, it's still a pretty bouquet. You put a lot of thought into this, and it's the thought that counts, isn't it? When I give it to her, she'll see a nice bouquet, and I'll know that I have said what needed to be said because a pretty boy in Queens put it together, and taught me what each flower means. How much will it be?"

Wow, who gave him the right to be hot  _ and  _ gentlemanly? Peter didn't know if he was envious or infatuated. Maybe both.

Peter did a quick mental calculation of the costs - if he gave a little discount to the customer, nobody had to know - and collected the money.

"Thank you, please come again!" He said as the customer turned to leave, and Peter really wanted to meet him again.

~~~

A week had passed since that meeting, and that was one week full of thoughts of that customer keeping Peter awake at night.

May was in the store today, while Peter tended to the flowers in the back. Peter was not in a great mood, seeing that patrol last night went terribly and he now had proof of it in the form of a black eye that refused to heal overnight. The customers, bless their hearts, were understandably concerned about the injury, and Peter was sure some of the regulars had considered calling child services at least once, but there was no way for him to say  _ this is normal, I was stopping a robbery _ , and he was already looking forward to closing up shop.

The bell at the top of the door tinkled softly, signalling the arrival of another customer. Peter peeked at the clock hanging on the wall - two hours until closing. He could get through two hours.

"Welcome to Parker's Flowers, how can I be of assistance?"

"Uh, hi, I'm looking for a bouquet…"

Peter's ears perked up at the unmistakable southern drawl. He turned around and sure enough, the customer from last week was standing in the doorway, peering around the shop. The customer caught sight of Peter and beamed at him and was it just him, or was it  _ really  _ hot in the shop?

"What kind of bouquet are you looking for?" May asks, her voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.

Blue eyes snapped back to May.

"I need a custom bouquet, one that says hi-it's-been-a-long-time-and-you-mean-a-lot-to-me-but-you-will-never-know-this-also-here's-a-bouquet-of-flowers-because-why-not?"

May blinked in amusement, "that's no problem! Is this for a significant other, or a potential crush?"

The other boy cringed in disgust, "no! No! Ew! Far from it. It's kinda complicated. He's sort of a… father figure?"

"Oh! Apologies," May gestured to Peter, winking at him, "Peter, you can handle this, can't you?"

Peter blushed and nodded, turning back to the flowers to mentally sort through what he liked to call his floral dictionary.

It was a complicated request, but the way the customer phrased the relationship reminded Peter of his own complicated "dad-but-not-dad" relationship with Tony. Peter kept Tony in his mind as he examined the flowers.

Yellow roses were definitely going into the bouquet. Peter picked up five of them and held them temporarily in his left hand. Yellow roses were known for signifying platonic love, and they would do well to convey affection towards a pseudo father figure.

White chrysanthemums -  _ truth  _ \- were next to go into the bundle, because knowing Tony, he would immediately shrug off the roses. 

Peter paused, nibbling at his bottom lip in thought. Both flowers would bring a little too much sincerity than the customer was looking for. He picked up a sprig of Southernwood -  _ jest _ \- and added it to the bundle of flowers in his hand. This would make it so that the message got across, but it wasn't too heavy that it would stop normal conversation for a talk about feelings. 

After a brief moment of consideration, he picked up a candytuft and brought the flowers to the assembly area.

He arranged the bouquet, a burst of yellow roses encircling the pairs of green southernwood and white chrysanthemum, with a white candytuft flower in the middle of the bouquet.

Feeling accomplished, he brought the bouquet to the customer, who had been making small talk with May over his last visit to the shop, the weather, and anything else they could think up.

The customer and May turned to Peter as he approached. 

"Peter! I was just telling Harley here about that nice restaurant down the street. Do you have it ready?"

Harley, huh?

Peter liked that name. A pretty name for a pretty boy.

The customer -  _ Harley  _ \- offered Peter another blinding smile, but his lips suddenly turned upside down in a frown.

"What happened to your eye, darlin?"

Peter flushed red in embarrassment at the pet name. This boy did things to him with just his voice, Peter wondered what else could be done with his b-

_ Down, boy. He probably thinks you're being bullied. Focus! _

"I ran into a pole," he says sheepishly, running a hand through his hair, "I'm really clumsy."

Harley's brows furrowed in concern, and Peter quickly presented the bouquet before he dug any deeper. Harley let the topic drop.

"Beautiful as always, thank you, Peter. Do I get another lesson on what everything means?"

Peter fidgeted, "do you want one?"

He was not used to customers wanting to stick around to hear the meanings of his compositions, but Harley just smiled and insisted.

Peter felt his cheeks heat up, but he nodded anyway, allowing himself to slip into his element as he explained what each flower meant. Harley listened attentively while May watched with pride, and all thought of Peter's suspicious black eye (and inability to lie convincingly) was forgotten.

"... and the flower in the middle is a candytuft, which symbolizes indifference, so put together, it sends a message of sincere platonic love, but also incorporates the teasing and false indifference you show to each other."

Harley grinned at him. Peter's heart skipped a beat.

"That's perfect! I didn't think my complicated situation could be so accurately put into a bouquet. Oh, I have to remember to take a picture of his face when I give this to him. Thank you."

Peter shrugged, hoping to look casual.

"I'm just doing my job."

"Oh, here I thought I was the only one receiving special attention," Harley sighed, a hand pressed to his heart.

"Wh- no! You  _ are  _ special!"

"I'm special, huh? So you don't put effort into other customers' requests?"

"I do! I-"

Harley laughed.

"You're fun to tease," he said as he handed the money to May, "thank you again, May and Peter, I'll be sure to come back."

Harley threw a wink at Peter and left the shop, May's standard phrase of "thank you, come again!" trailing after him.

May turned to Peter after the tinkling of the bell had stopped and the door was closed.

"He's  _ special _ , huh?"

Peter groaned in embarrassment.

~~~

Harley  _ did  _ come back, again and again, each time asking for complex bouquet arrangements. In the span of a month, Harley had visited seven times, and paid for seven custom-made bouquets.

He was quickly becoming a regular, and Peter wasn't complaining in the slightest. Harley was charming and talked his way into the hearts of both May and Peter, and George, when he was in the shop.

Peter learned that Harley liked to stop by during the weekdays, particularly Tuesdays and Thursdays. May evidently learned that too, because she started arranging her dates with George on said weekdays, leaving Peter alone in the shop to  flirt with attend to Harley's requests. 

Peter also learned that Harley sang in the shower, had a close friend named Gwen (who was a  _ darling,  _ when he brought her to the shop once - Peter loved her, but that was the visit he liked the least), and that Harley  _ hated _ flowers, until he came to the shop.

That last thought brought butterflies to Peter's stomach.

It was a Thursday night, and Peter's mood was steadily plummeting with every hour that passed. As with all Thursdays, May and George were far away from the shop, leaving Peter to tend to the business. Unlike all Thursdays, it was close to 9pm and there was still no sign of Harley.

It was also the eve of Valentine's Day, and spending the day putting together Valentine bouquets did not help Peter feel any less lonely.

Dejected, Peter started putting the flowers into storage.

_ He's probably busy. You're not the only person in his life. Maybe he has no more need for flowers. _

The bell on the door tinkled. Peter snapped his head up so fast he felt dizzy. 

In the doorway, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans and head held high like he was on a mission, stood Harley. Peter felt relief and happiness wash over him before fading into a tamer shyness.

"Hey, Pete, sorry, I know it's almost closing time but I really need the flower language."

Peter smiled.

"It's alright. I was starting to think you weren't coming today."

"What, and miss my bi-weekly dose of cute florist boys?"

That was another thing Peter learned about Harley - he was a massive flirt, and Peter blushed every time.

"What'll it be today?"

Harley looked to the side, almost shy, "I was hoping we could do something a little different. I did my research, I'll tell you the flowers and you tell me what my bouquet says? It'll be like a fun game, if you have the time."

_ I always have time for you- _

Peter nodded, "of course! It's always fun to guess meanings."

"Well," Harley smiled, "I did my research on Google, so I hope I don't embarrass myself in front of the expert. This is a pretty small bouquet, but I do want it simple. Do you have white lilies?"

"Happiness and serenity," Peter recalled, picking out a few white lilies from storage.

"Yup. I'd like maybe five of those. Pink roses?"

Peter hummed, walking past arrays of flowers to the roses, "pink roses are used for many things - love, gratitude, admiration and/or appreciation."

"In my case, it's "and", five of those too. Maybe about three white hydrangeas?"

"Proof of heartfelt emotions," Peter recited, and stilled when it hit him. He was making a Valentine's bouquet. For Harley. Of course a guy like Harley was dating someone. Of course! Why did Peter ever think otherwise? Peter was too shy and nothing would have ever happened between them, but the knowledge just wrapped around his heart, a heavy weight in his chest.

"Almost done! The last flower, red tulips, I'd like three, in the middle."

"A declaration of love, begging the recipient to believe them when they confess their love," the words came out automatically, his movements mechanical as he brought the flowers to the assembly area, "a Valentine's bouquet."

A confession, too, which hurt  _ more _ , knowing that he still had a chance before today.

_ I hope they accept his love. Maybe they'll be a good fit for him, one who doesn't have a stupid superhero alter-ego and only talks about flowers. _

"You got it!" Harley beamed when Peter presented the bouquet, "it doesn't look bad for my first try, huh? Maybe I should work here."

Peter forced out a laugh, his smile strained, "yeah."

"Anyway," Harley said, taking out his wallet, "how much is it?"

"Thirty-seven ninety."

Harley handed over forty dollars.

"Keep the change."

Peter nodded in thanks, holding out the flowers for Harley to take. Harley only smiled.

"What? Is there something wrong with the flowers?" Peter asked, inspecting the bouquet for any faults he needed to fix. Maybe the colour of the ribbon was too tacky, should he add some foam hearts?

"Keep the flowers, too."

Peter blinked.

"What?"

Harley grinned at him, "what is the message in this bouquet?"

"A declaration of love - a heartfelt confession."

"Mhmm," Harley nodded, his slight fidgeting betraying his nervousness, "I uh, hope I haven't been reading things wrong. I'd hate you keep you past closing only to be rejected and waste your time."

Peter blinked again.

_ Wait- _

"This is… for me?"

Another nod.

"I…" 

_ Never expected this? _

_ Accept? _

_ Do not deserve this? _

He didn't know how to respond. Harley seemed to take the silence as rejection, the hope in his eyes slowly fading and his posture starting to slouch.

"I don't  _ not  _ accept it!" Peter exclaimed in panic.

Harley raised an eyebrow.

"So you… do accept it?"

"I can't make you pay for flowers that you don't take!"

"You sound as if nobody has given  _ you  _ flowers before."

"Well no, but-"

"Peter," Harley cut in, determined and serious, "I don't want you to feel pressured, it's okay if you don't feel the same."

"No, I  _ do,  _ I just-"

"Just what?"

What, indeed…

Peter had nothing to say.

"Peter middle name Parker, this is a day early," Harley took the flowers from Peter's hand, offering them on one knee, "but I would be the happiest person alive if you would be my Valentine." 

Peter was almost fully flushed red at this point. 

"I would like that a lot."

Harley's beam was blinding, and Peter's cheeks ached from how wide they were stretched as he reflected Harley's smile.

Peter learned something new about Harley - not only was he a flirt, but he was a hopeless romantic to the point where it got downright embarrassing, and Peter wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, to be Harley's friend and receive a free bouquet every week because he's smitten with a florist boy
> 
> I have a few more scenes I might want to do, let me know if you want a chapter two!
> 
> If you love parkner: https://discord.gg/Z6PqU6v  
> We have cookies!


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